Inking device for mimeograph machines



June 16, 1936.

H. L. BUENO Filed Nov. 24, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 27 z 5 q z I I6 20 M 9 23 ,(6 I f ,/23 6 2 H H D 1% -i IO/ '8 a 1ll zs 2 a) HUMBERTO L.

BUENO BY (2. (MM

ATTORNEYS.

INVENTOR.

Patented June 16, 1936 UNHTED aviator INKING DEVICE FOR MXMEOGRAPH MACHINES Humberto Ia. Bueno, New York, N. Y.

Application November 24, 1933, Serial No. 699,539

13 Claims.

ally, an ink pad has .been provided over the outer surface of a perforated metal drum and under the inner surface of the stencil. The pad was adapted to absorb a certain quantity of ink and to redistribute it to the stencil. The ink was usually applied to the pad by means of a manually operated brush whichwas mounted on the inking device located on the inside of a mimeograph drum. In the use of such prior devices, the first copies were printed quite heavy after inking, and then as the run proceeded, the prints would become lighter and lighter until finally they became too faint for practical purposes. It was then necessaryto stop the machine and reink the pad by manually operating the inking device. Flirthermore, there was a tendency'toward non-uniformity of printing due to the difliculty of inking the pad evenly and due to the difficulty of maintaining such pad in a uniformly inked condition. In applying ink to a pad by means of the prior inking device, considerable skill and experience was required to determine the spots requiring ink and the correct quantity of ink and also to insure not only the even distribution throughout the pad or stencil but also to prevent smudging and to avoid faint prints. Moreover, a great deal of time was lost in stopping the machine and reinking, especially when attempts were made to produce inked copies which were anything like uniform. Then again, no means were provided to apply a definite and correct amount of ink which was commensurate with the amount of work being done. Prior inking devices had the 0 foregoingas well as other serious disadvantages.

Although many attempts have been made toovercome the aforesaid disadvantages, none, as fare. I am aware, has been completely satisfactory and wholly successful in practical use.

45 It is an object of the present invention to provide a mimeograph machine inking device which is capable of feeding ink and of spreading such ink evenly and uniformly over the entire surface of the drum, pad, or stencil, whereby uniformly 50 and properly inked mimeograph copies can be made from the start to the end of the run.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an inking device for a mimeograph machine which functions practically automatically 55 while the machine is operating and which will enable such machine to print uniformly inked work continuously throughout a run in which the last copies are substantially as heavily and uniformly inked as the first sheets.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an automatic inker fora mimeograph machine which will make it possible for such a machine to produce neater and more uniform work in less time than heretofore.

It is a further object of the prwent invention to provide an automatic inking device which will feed the correctamount of ink commensurate with the amount of work being done and which will cease functioning when the machine stops.

Another object of the invention is to provide an inking device having adjustable supports which will afford long wear to the device and which will enable the same to operate smoothly and with minimum friction throughout its life.

It is also within the contemplation of the mvention as incorporated in a mimeograph machine; V

Fig. 2 illustrates a side elevation view of the present inking device;

Fig. 3 depicts a top plan view of the inking device shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation view, partly fragmentary and partly in section, of a modified embodiment of the invention.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, the reference character I designates a drum of a mimeograph machine having a perforated surface 2 cov-. 5 ering the inking region thereof. Fastened to the outside of the drum may be a pad or other absorbent substance 3 over which the stencil is fitted in the usual manner. Gutters i may be provided on the inside of drum which prevent any stray ink from flowing down the end plate 5 of the drum which might tend to dirty the machine and. interfere with the lubrication of the same.

The gutters B and 7 extending longitudinally across the drum at the extremities of the inking surface 2 likewise serve to prevent the overflow of ink. It will be seen that the gutters 6 and also serve as stops the function of which will be explained more fully hereinafter. The end plates 5 each have an aperture 8 for an axle 9 which may be held in position by any suitable arrangement, such as bushings l0.

Suspended from the axle by means of supports II and bearings I2, is an ink reservoir 13 which may be cylindrical in shape, which extends throughout the width of the drum, and which is free to rotate around the axle. Annular bearings i2 are mounted on the axle and may have set screws M which may be adjusted to provide the proper amount of braking action as the reservoir swings around the axle. In practice, it has been generally found unnecessary to provide the braking action. Each support II is adjustably screwed into the bearings and held in place by lock nut l5. The lower end of the support adjustably fits intothe outwardly projecting fiange IS on the reservoir and is secured in position by a.- lock nut IT or some other suitable means. In the event that it is desired to maintain the reservoir in a central position on the axle, twosprings l8 may be provided which hold the bearings l2 in spaced relation and prevent lateral shifting of the same. i a

Along the bottom of the reservoir, a plurality of orifices l9 preferably of a capillary character are provided for automatically feeding the ink when the machine is in operation. It has been found that orifices having a diameter of about one millimeter and spaced apart approximately. inch gave satisfactory results. Of course, it is to be understood that a variation in the spacing and in the size of the orifices may be made depending upon the viscosity and type of ink and the quantity of feed necessary, as one skilled in the art will readily understand.

On the top of the reservoir is an inlet port 20 which is preferably of a wide mouthed character to facilitate filling the reservoir with ink. It has been found advantageous to provide the port with a close fitting hermetical seal 2| to prevent the leakage of air into or the leakage of ink from the reservoir. A hand operated air vent 22 is also located on the top of the reservoir and is adapted to admit air into the reservoir when starting, as will be more fully described hereinafter. A. screw cap 23 or other suitable device fits snugly over the vent to prevent the leakage of air and/or ink.

An annular replaceable brush holder 24 having an open bottom fits over the reservoir and is fastened thereto by means of screws 25. The lower edges of the holder are provided with flaring flanges 26 and 2! which act as brush and splash guards. A bristle brush 28 projects downwardly from the holder into which it is seated and presents practically a single bristle surface 29 to the drum. The bmsh is adapted to receive the ink as it drips from the capillary orifices and then to distribute it evenly as a substantially uniform film over the inner surface of the perforated diaphragm of the drum.

As may be clearly seen from Fig. 1, the reservoir hangs downwardly in its normal position like a pendulum. The vertical position of the reservoir has been designated for convenience sake as being 180 clockwise from the top of the drum. Two stops 6 and i, hereinbefore referred to as gutters, project inwardly at about and 315 respectively. When the drum revolves in a clockwise direction, the reservoir remains in its normal position until stop 6 comes in contact with the splash guard 26 and pushes the suspended reservoir around to about the 5 position where the force of gravity acts uponthe reservoir and makes it fall rapidly away from the stop 6.- Thependulous reservoir will then swing around to about the 270 position at about which.

point the guard 21 'will catch up with and be checked by the stop I. The brush will then tend to come to rest at the position until the stop 6 in its rotation again comes in contact with and pushes the guard 26 at which time the cycle begins anew. During each revolution of the drum, it will be' observed that the brush sweeps over the entire"stenci1 area of the drum twice, once in each direction. The ink is thus spread evenly and thoroughly throughout the ink region, thereby insuring for all parts a uniform and proper amount of ink. Furthermore, the mimeo- "As the ink flows, a partial vacuum is created within the reservoir which will prevent any more ink fro-m feeding while the reservoir remains in its downward position. When the reservoir is revolved and is inverted to about the 0 position, air enters the orifices and dissipates the partial vacuum. As the reservoir again returns to its downward position, a further definite quantity of ink will be released. In this manner, the correct amount of ink is continually liberated in direct proportion to the amount of work which is being done. When the machine stops and the reservoir is at rest, the-flow of ink is stopped by the creation of a partial vacuum. Thus, the copies or machine do not become saturated and soiled with ink. The operation is practically automatic and continuous and obviates the necessity of stopping the machine for hand-inking or spreading the ink in conventional mimeograph machines. Furthermore, since the ink is continually being fed with each revolution of the drum, there is no gradual fading of the copies or prints as the run progresses.

When starting the run or applying a fresh ink pad, it may be desired to supply a cerain amount of ink to properly saturate the stencil area including the pad and drum diaphragm. To accomplish the foregoing, air vent 22 may be openedto permit a sufliclent quantity of ink to flow prior to actual running of the machine. When enough ink has been administered to the stencil area, the air vent is tightly closed and the normal operation begun.

When the machine is not in operation for any length of time, as a safety measure, it has been found desirable to crank the drum around until the reservoir is in an inverted position. In this position, it is impossible for the ink to seep through the capillary orifices in the event that there is a small air leak in the reservoir or one of the ports. v

A modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Fig. 4. In this figure a drum 1 of a mimeograph machine has mounted on its central shaft 9 and suspended therefrom a triangular ink reservoir 30. In. orderto minimize the friction between the shaft 9 and mountings 3i, ball bearings 32 may be provided. Supports 33 are adjustably screwed into the bearings and locked thereto by means of a lock nut 36.

The ink reservoir has a laterally projecting flange 35 on each end which are threaded to receive the supports 33. Lock nuts 36 hold the supports firmly in position. Two sets of brushes slfformmg practically a single bristle surface 38, are replaceably mounted on the sides of the ink reservoir. A plurality of capillary orifices 3d at the lower apex of the reservoir feed the proper amount of ink onto the lower meshed portion of the brushes from where the ink is fed onto the stencil area. In this manner the ink is distributed' evenly and uniformly throughout the bristle surface of the brush, and in turn throughout the entire surface of the drum, pad and" stencil.

At the top of the ink reservoir is located a stoppered inlet port till. It has been found desirable to ofiset the port from the center of the reservoir so as to facilitate the pouring of the ink. There is also located on the top of the reservoir a hand air vent dl for use in starting as explained hereinbefore. It is preferable to provide air tight stoppers t2 and 63 for ports and M respectively to prevent the leakage of air and ink which might tend to interfere with the normal inking of the machine.

On each side of the ink reservoir, covering the brushes, are splash guards M which are made of some resilient material to reduce the shock as the stops 6 and i come in contact therewith. The

operation of the modified embodiment is sub-- stantially the same as that described liereinbe-= fore, and, consequently, it is believed to be unnecessary to repeat the description.

It is to be observed that the ink reservoir may be raised or lowered to such a position where the brushes will touch the metal drum sumciently to spread the ink without creating too much pressure on the drum which might have a braking action to the pendulous motion. Likewise, as the brush wears down, it is only necessary to lower it a small amount by adjusting supports H in order to restore the proper inking action of the brush. In this manner longevity of the brush is made possible.

1 Although the present invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments thereof, it is understood that variations and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a pendulous ink reservoir suspended from the axle of the drum of a mimeograph machine, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate said reservoir, said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops, a plurality of feeding orifices incorporated in the lower portion of said reservoir for feeding ink, and a distributing element for supplying said ink to a pad of said mimeograph machine for uniformly inking a stencil mounted on said machine.

2. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a pendulous ink reservoir suspended from the axle of the drum of a mimeograph machine, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate said reservoir, said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops,

a plurality of feeding orifices incorporated in the lower portion of said reservoir for feeding ink, and a distributing brush mounted on said reservoir and extending below said orifices for brushing the ink evenly over the inking region of said drum.

3. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a pendulous ink reservoir suspended from the axle of the drum of a mimeograph machine, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate said reservoir, said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops,

a plurality of capillary orifices incorporated in the bottom of said reservoir for feeding ink, and distributing brushes mounted on each side of the reservoir and extending below the bottom thereof in meshing relation to brush the ink uniformly over the inking region of the mimeograph drum.

4. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a pendulous ink reservoir adapted to be suspended from the axle of the drum of a mimeograph machine, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate said reservoir,

' said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops, an air-tight inlet for intro- 0 ducing ink into said reservoir, a plurality of feeding orifices incorporated in the bottom ofsaid reservoir for feeding ink, and a distributing brush mounted on said reservoir and extending below said orifices for brushing the ink evenly over the inking region of said drum.

5. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a pendulous ink reservoir adapted to be suspended from the axle of the drum of a mimeograph machine, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate said reservoir, said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops, a manually operated air vent for permitting the entry of air into said reservoir, a plurality of feeding orifices incorporated in the bottom of said reservoir for feeding ink, and a distributing brush mounted on said reservoir and extending below said orifices for brushing the ink evenly over the inking region suspending said reservoir on said axle, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate said reservoir, said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops, a plurality of feeding orifices incorporated in the bottom of said reservoir for feeding ink, and a distributing brush mounted on said reservoir and extending below said orifices for brushing the ink evenly over the inking region of said drum.

'7. An inking device formimeograph machines comprising a pendulous ink reservoir adapted to be suspended fromthe axle of the drum of a mimeograph machine, a pair of springs for main taining said reservoir in a pre-determined axial position, stops mounted on said drum adapted.

stops, a plurality of feeding orifices incorporated in the bottom of said reservoir for feeding ink,

and a distributing brush mounted on said reser voir and extending below said orifices for brushing the ink evenly over the inking region of said drum.

8. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a pendulous ink reservoir adapted to be suspended from the axle of the drum of a mimeograph machine, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate said reservoir, said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops, a plurality of feeding orifices incorporated in the bottom of said reservoir for feeding ink, a pair of guards extending below the bottom of said reservoir and said orifices, and a distributing brush mounted on said reservoir and extending below said orifices for brushing the ink evenly over the inking region of said drum.

9. The improvement in a mimeograph machine having a drum which comprises, in combination, an ink reservoir suspended within the drum, ink feeding means associated with the bottom of said reservoir, a pair of guards extending below the bottom of said reservoir, and a pair of stops within said drums to engage the ards of the ink reservoir when the drum is rotated in order to rotate the ink reservoir about the axis of the drum whereby the ink is automatically spread over the inner surface of said drum during the operation of the machine.

10. The improvement in 'a mimeograph machine which comprises, in combination, a drum having aninking surface thereon, an ink reservoir suspended within the drum and a plurality of orifices incorporated in the bottom of said reservoir, a guard extending from each side of said reservoir to a region lower than the bottom thereof, and a pair of stops positioned at about the A extremities of said inking surface within said drum for engaging said guards, one of said stops being adapted to push and cause the rotation of the ink reservoir about the axis of the drum and the other stop being adapted to engage the guard of the reservoir and limit rotation to the inking surface.

11. The improvement in a mimeograph machine having a drum which comprises, in combination, an ink reservoir revolubly suspended within the drum, ink feeding means associated with the bottom of said drum, a pair of guards extending below the bottom of said reservoir, stops mounted on said drum adapted to push and rotate. said reservoir, said reservoir being free to rotate at a velocity other than that of the drum when no longer pushed by said stops, and a gutter extending inwardly at an angle to catch ink splashed from said ink reservoir.

12. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a rotating drum having an inking surface thereon, a pendulous ink reservoir revolubly suspended from the axle of said drum, said reservoir having a plurality of orifices on the bottom of said reservoir to permit a limited amount of ink therethrough until a vacuum is set up within said reservoir, means associated with said rotating drum for rotating said reservoir to permit air to be admitted through said orifices when in an upturned position and dissipate said vacuum whereby another limited amount, of ink may flow from said reservoir.

13. An inking device for mimeograph machines comprising a rotating drum having an inking surface thereon, a pendulous ink reservoir revolubly suspended from the axle of said drum, said reservoir having a plurality of orifices on the bottom of said reservoir to permit a limited amount of ink therethrough until a vacuum is set up within said reservoir, means associated with said rotating drum for rotating said reservoir to permit air to be admitted through said orifices 7 when in an upturned position, and dissipate said vacuum whereby another limited amount of ink may flow from said reservoir, and ink distributing means associated with said reservoir.

HUMBERTO L. BUENO. 

